Microsoft to shut down three Microsoft 365 companion apps in Windows 11

⚡ The gist in 5 seconds - Microsoft will shut down three Microsoft 365 companion apps in Windows 11 — People, Files, and Calendar. They were forcibly added to the operating system in 2025. - These are helper programs for quick access to Microsoft 365 contacts, files, and calendar right from the taskbar. - Support will end in fall 2026. There will be no automatic removal: installed apps will remain on the system, and users will have to uninstall them manually through Windows 11 Settings. ### 🔍 What was found The publication Windows Latest drew attention to Microsoft's plans to shut down three Microsoft 365 companion apps for Windows 11. Back in 2025, the American IT giant forcibly added the People, Files, and Calendar apps to its operating system. Now, a year later, the company has decided to end their support. The decision was made in fall 2026 and applies only to Windows 11. The apps were designed for quick access to Microsoft 365 contacts, files, and calendar from the taskbar. According to Windows Latest, after the service is shut down, the programs will not be removed automatically. "Apps that are already installed will remain on the system after the service is shut down, so users will have to remove them themselves," the authors explained. To uninstall them, you need to go to Windows 11 Settings, open the "Apps" section, then the "Installed apps" subsection, and find the programs in question. ### 💡 Why it matters A year ago, Microsoft essentially forced these apps on Windows 11 users, and now it is quietly ending their support, leaving users to clean up the system manually. For Microsoft 365 subscribers, this means the tools they may have grown accustomed to will stop working but will continue taking up space on the system. The lack of automatic removal adds an extra burden on users: they will have to figure out on their own how to get rid of the zombie apps. Knowing the exact path — "Settings" → "Apps" → "Installed apps" — will make this task easier and allow you to tidy up in advance before official support ends. The exact shutdown date has not been announced, so it's better to check your system ahead of time. ### 🧩 Context In 2025, Microsoft forcibly added People, Files, and Calendar to Windows 11. These Microsoft 365 companion apps were meant to provide quick access to contacts, files, and calendar from the taskbar. In fall 2026, the company decided to end their support but did not remove the programs from users' computers. As Windows Latest journalists noted, installed apps will remain on the system and will have to be removed manually through Settings. This decision will affect all Windows 11 users on whose devices these apps were installed by default.

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